[dba-Tech] FW: AN Old Dog of a Machine

Gary:

Not sure what's inside this piece of...work...but spending any money on it
isn't in the cards.  It has a Reinstallation CD with windows ME but when I
boot from it it doesn't give the option to format the hard disk.

With 128MB RAM I would be reluctant to try W2K even if I had a disk (might
have one actually in my Dell P3 box). 

There is a drivers and utilities CD so I think I'm OK there.  It's just
getting the disk wiped and the OS installed to begin with.  Then, he just
wants to use it as a spare - wireless to the router - bit of WP maybe, but
mostly net browsing.

Rocky


-----Original Message-----
From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Gary Kjos
Sent: Friday, November 10, 2006 7:13 AM
To: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues
Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] FW: AN Old Dog of a Machine

I'm guessing it uses RAMBUS memory???  My main workhorse machine uses
Rambus memory and is therefore cost prohibitive to upgrade as well.
Fortunately I have 512MB in mine. Perhaps one of those bootable Linux
distributions would work for you to get it formatted??   I think I
would look at a Motherboard replacement from someplace like
Tigerdirect. Dell makes nice cases so those are perhaps worth the
while of putting in new guts. New MB with onboard video and sound and
networking. Some new RAM, maybe a new HD too, probably cost $200.
Course you still need an OS then anyway.....You are planning to put a
fresh copy of ME back on it???  DON'T!!!!   Or rather, don't waste
your time if you are intending to do that. A lot of work and you will
still be left with ME. With no patches anymore either I don't think
right?   Or is ME still supported?

Is there perhaps a Drivers and Utilities CD?? Any help off that?  Did
you try and actually boot from the restore CD??  That should lead you
through formatting.

You pull the drive out and connect it as a slave drive to another
machine and format it there maybe??

Geeze I miss having problems like this on my own machines ;-)   Not!

GK

On 11/10/06, Beach Access Software <bchacc at san.rr.com> wrote:
>
>
> Dear List:
>
>
>
> I'm trying to save a machine for a friend - Dell Inspiron 8000 with 128MB
of
> memory and Windows ME.  Adding memory is not an option - costs about the
> same as a new machine.
>
>
>
> Anyway, I'd like to wipe the hard drive but it won't let me.  When I try
> Format C:\ at the command prompt it says there's some process using the
hard
> drive and won't format(I have the Windows ME restore disk).
>
>
>
> There's no floppy so I can't make a bootable floppy disk.
>
>
>
> The drive is loaded down with a bunch of crap.  I'd just like to wipe it
and
> start fresh.
>
>
>
> How can I get this disk wiped?
>
>
>
> MTIA,
>
>
>
> Rocky
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> dba-Tech mailing list
> dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com
> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech
> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
>


-- 
Gary Kjos
garykjos at gmail.com
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